DRPA releases what it says is the last of its economic development fund - $20 million awarded

CAMDEN — Approximately $20 million was released Wednesday by the Delaware River Port Authority for such non-transportation projects as assisting the Food Bank of South Jersey and rebuilding a rowing course along the Cooper River, allocations that proponents assert will end the agency’s involvement in promoting economic development along the Delaware River.

The DRPA’s commissioners voted 14-2 to release the funds under what was touted as “implementation and close out” of three resolutions from December 2009.

The December 2009 date is crucial in that the DRPA voted in both August and November 2010 to halt all spending for items that vary from its “core” mission of operating four bridges across the Delaware River as well as the PATCO High Speed Line. As a result, the funds approved Wednesday — all involving projects advocated by the eight New Jersey commissioners on the DRPA — had been frozen.

While the 2010 resolutions are technically non-binding, Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner — a DRPA commissioner by virtue of his elected office — argued that “from an integrity point of view ... they are binding.”

“I thought we had changed our direction,” said Wagner, who voted against the proposal along with Pennsylvania Commissioner John Lisko, who represents state Treasurer Robert McCord. “Sitting here, I am not so sure.”

DRPA Vice Chairman Jeffrey Nash suggested the vote “ends a dispute between two states that dates back to 2007.”

After a year of not meeting in an impasse over the DRPA’s role in the controversial project to deepen the Delaware River channel, the commissioners opted in 2007 to split the $50 million it had set aside for the project and give equal slices to both Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Pennsylvania designated its half for the dredging work. New Jersey had a list of projects ranging from $6 million toward a cancer center within Cooper University Hospital to $4 million for rebuilding the rowing course along the Cooper River in Pennsauken and Collingswood and $2 million to the Food Bank.

However, “We are not coming up with new projects,” insisted Nash, a New Jersey commissioner.

After the vote to release the funds, citizen Joe Quigley chided the board during the portion of the meeting set aside for public comment.

“You are responsible for transportation across the Delaware River, not the Cooper River,” said Quigley.

Because the funds had been previously committed, the proposal secured the approval of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, who is also DRPA chairman.

Wagner implied that the governor and his fellow Pennsylvania commissioners should be more fiscally prudent.

He had voted against the DRPA’s assisting such Pennsylvania-backed projects as the soccer stadium in Chester, Pa., he noted, as well as funding to keep the Army-Navy game in Philadelphia most years.

“I’m a Marine Corps veteran, and I voted against the Army-Navy game,” said Wagner.

Kevin Harley, Corbett’s press secretary, said Wagner had voted for more than his share of spending DRPA cash toward economic development projects, including financing for the 2005 Army-Navy game.

Wagner suggested that, without the $500 million the DRPA had spent on economic development, the base bridge toll — collected westbound only — could have been “$4 or possibly $3,” not the current $5.

That said, Congress enlarged the DRPA’s compact in 1992 to include economic development, CEO John Matheussen observed. The governors of both states at the time concurred, he added.

Nash said he had discussed the $20 million in awards with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in advance of their surfacing two weeks ago. Christie’s schedule on Wednesday included a visit to the Food Bank’s Pennsauken headquarters.

After the $20 million allocation, the DRPA has approximately $10 million left in its economic development accounts. Nash, who chairs the DRPA’s finance committee, insists that money is earmarked for capital projects.

Wagner said he will make sure those funds go in that direction.

He expects to have Robert Teplitz, who sits in for him when he misses a DRPA meeting, introduce resolutions in January allocating a total of $6.9 million to study the possible reopening of the Franklin Square station along the PATCO line and making the Benjamin Franklin Bridge walkway on the New Jersey side handicapped accessible.

Bicycle advocates said such a move would help them as well. At present, they have to carry their bicycles up 40 feet of stairs to gain access to the span’s pedestrian walkway from the Camden side.

John Boyle, resources director for the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, agreed that financing those projects would be a “wise investment.”

In other business, the commissioners adopted operating budgets totaling $126 million for 2012 — $74.14 million for the DRPA; $45.3 million for PATCO; $5.5 million for its E-Z Pass Operations center; $1.89 million for its One Port Center building in Camden; and $62,512 for the seasonal RiverLink Ferry.

The only comment came from Wagner who questioned a $17,000 expenditure to the New Jersey Governor’s Office Authorities Unit.

CEO John Matheussen stated that the unit’s budget is based on collecting fees from the agencies it oversees, such as the DRPA.